1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable device with a display function, such as a digital camera or a cell phone. In particular, it relates to displaying a magnified image.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a digital camera, a recorded photographic image is displayed on the screen of a display, such as an LCD monitor in a playback mode, and part of a displayed image can be magnified by operating a zoom button, which is disposed on the back surface of the camera. While the magnified image is displayed on the screen, an operator can change the area to be magnified by operating a cross-shaped button composed of an up button, a down button, a left button, and a right button. In accordance to the input operation administered to the cross-shaped button, an area to be magnified is shifted in left-right and/or up-down directions. This scrolling function allows an operator to confirm a part of a photographed image in detail.
The shift direction of the magnified area corresponds to up-down or right-left directions on the screen, in accordance to the input operation administered to the cross-shaped button (for example, see JP2004-72207A). Therefore, when an operator would like to see a different area that is apart from the present magnified area in a diagonal or slanted direction, multiple input operations are required since the shift direction is restricted to the vertical and lateral directions on the screen. It is especially time consuming and troublesome when a magnified image is displayed with a high scaling factor.